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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22377436">party favors</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tfc/pseuds/tfc'>tfc</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, happy birthday gonta!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:55:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22377436</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tfc/pseuds/tfc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shuichi attempts to plan Gonta’s birthday and nearly forgets to get him a present.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gokuhara Gonta/Saihara Shuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>party favors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Planning a birthday party is definitely more work than he’d thought it would be. Normally, Kirumi handles all of the organization for everyone’s birthdays—even her own, no matter how hard they try to do the planning themselves. But Shuichi definitely wants to take care of Gonta’a birthday. They’ve only been dating for a couple months or so, but this’ll be a good gesture to show how much he cares.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something outdoorsy, for sure. Maybe a picnic? Do they even have a good picnic spot on campus? Green balloons, maybe blue? Chocolate cake is a definite, it’s Gonta’s favorite flavor, after all. But he has to make the cake—he’s not about to ask Kirumi to do it, she’s already agreed to help him with plates and cutlery—and frost it. Maybe he should get store-bought instead. No, no, that’s too impersonal. Then he has to organize the food, which he’ll definitely be buying from the store, there’s no way he can make enough for all of their classmates on top of a cake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And a gift.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, God, he hasn’t even gotten a gift yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay, there’s no time to worry about it right now, he can just get something when he’s at the store. Kaede, thankfully, volunteered  to handle picking up the balloons and streamers, so all Shuichi has to do is find a good spot to host sixteen people and a ton of food. He also has to make sure that everything is perfect, because Gonta deserves nothing less. There’s a little spot in the courtyard, he’s pretty sure, that would work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heads out of the dorms and glances around. Thankfully, there’s no one hanging around the spot, so Shuichi can scope it out. There’s a few benches, and one of those picnic tables, and Shuichi’s pretty sure it can fit the food. This’ll definitely do. He texts Kaede about the location, and she sends a smiley face emoji back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s a grocery store near campus, so Shuichi goes in and comes out with enough food for a small village (though, knowing his classmates, it’s barely enough) after about an hour. By the time he gets back to the spot, Kirumi and Kaede are chatting as they set up streamers and balloons. He waves—or tries to, though it’s definitely difficult given he’s holding about twelve bags full of pre-made food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Shuichi,” Kaede chirps, taking a few of the bags from him and setting them down on the picnic table. Kirumi grabs a couple as well. “Ooh! Chips, finger sandwiches, fruit platters...this looks great! I’m sure it’ll be a hit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi smiles weakly at her and starts setting up the food. Kirumi takes over when it’s clear he has no idea how to create a presentable spread, however. “Are you sure you don’t want any further assistance? You seem rather overwhelmed, Shuichi,” she says as she rearranges the tiny sandwiches in a cute circle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He waves her off. “No, no, I’ve got it. I just hope Gonta likes the surprise,” he says sheepishly, and Kaede stifles a giggle. Once the three of them have all of the food setup, Shuichi pulls his phone out to text the rest of their class, but freezes in place when he realizes what’s missing from the spread. “The cake. I still have to make a cake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kirumi gasps, and the two of them dash into the kitchen, leaving Kaede in charge of keeping the party safe. He yanks two box mixes out of the communal pantry, ready to pay back whoever the owner of the miraculous chocolate cake mixes is later, when Kirumi suddenly stops him, a hand on his wrist and a very intense look in her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shuichi. That’s box mix,” she says, rather sternly, and Shuichi just nods, heading over to the oven and letting it preheat. “Are you not making the cake from scratch?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He resists the urge to look at her as though she’s lost her mind. “There’s no time,” he says frantically as he grabs a big mixing bowl and dumps both packets of powder in it. “Okay, so we need water and—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you insist on using...a box mix,” Kirumi starts, sounding a bit horrified at the prospect of even touching a premade mix, “then instead of water, you should use milk. As for the vegetable oil, I’d recommend replacing it with butter. The cake will taste much richer, and it’ll stay fluffy for much longer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kirumi, you are a godsend,” Shuichi tells her, dashing over to the fridge. Milk, check. Butter melting in the microwave? Also check. Now all he has to do is mix them. Don’t spill, don’t spill, don’t spill. “Okay, it’s mixed, I’ve got this. Where’s the—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cake pan?” Kirumi asks with an amused smile, presenting the abnormally giant thing already greased and lined. This, he recognizes, is probably the one she uses for every birthday party they have. She helps him pour the batter evenly. “Alright, the oven should be done preheating any minute now. We still have a few hours before we </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to have the party done, so we can definitely cool the cake before decorating it, and there’s a can of frosting in the fridge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi’s shoulders slump in relief. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to do all that,” he tells her, and she waves him off as though it’s nothing. The oven gives a telltale beep, and Shuichi immediately puts in the cake. He leans against the counter and reads the back of the box mix; it should be about 45 minutes. Not too bad. “Alright, now all that’s left to do is wait.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s hard not to get impatient. Kirumi busies herself with cleaning, but browsing the internet on his phone doesn’t distract Shuichi as much as it normally does. He keeps glancing into the oven, tapping his foot, gnawing nervously at his bottom lip. Thankfully, it’s only five long news articles about how the world is going to end before he can take it out of the oven. They stuff it in the freezer almost immediately after to cool off enough to frost it, and they’re left to wait for the cake yet again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while, Shuichi speaks up. “Hey...Kirumi? Do you think Gonta will like the party?” Shuichi asks softly, and she looks up from the shelf she’s dusting. “I-I just...I’m nervous. I dunno, I guess I’m a little worried he’s not going to think it’s as good as the ones you’ve hosted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiles softly, shaking her head. “Of course he’ll like it,” she assures him, and Shuichi lets out a nervous laugh. “In all honesty, I would not be surprised to find you planning his next few birthday parties as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the idea of it, Shuichi’s face heats up. Kirumi chuckles and takes the cake from the freezer, setting it beside the can of frosting and pack of candles now on the counter. It’s vanilla, but Shuichi pulls a bit of green food dye from the cupboard, so the chocolate cake gets coated in a thick coat of bright green buttercream frosting. With Kirumi’s help, it’s surprisingly good-looking, and Shuichi’s kind of excited to eat it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Kirumi also has a steady supply of decorative icing, and Shuichi doesn’t trust himself enough not to screw up the birthday message. Pretty, looping cursive reading </span>
  <em>
    <span>Happy Birthday, Gonta!</span>
  </em>
  <span> It’s quite a nice cake in the end, even if it’s not of the usual quality Kirumi brings to the table. Shuichi takes the cake stand and carries it out of the kitchen—Kirumi holds the door—and to the spread that Kaede is loyally standing by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi beams at her as he sets the cake down in the middle of the table, and she immediately whips out her phone and starts typing. “Okay, so, the class is on their way,” Kaede tells him, still typing. “You should go get Gonta. By the time you guys get here, everyone will be in position!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nods, determined, and he marches off towards the dorms. He heads up the set of steps and knocks on Gonta’s door gently. The door swings open, and sure enough, there he is. “Oh! Hey, Shuichi! Gonta was just about to go to Shuichi’s room,” Gonta says, and Shuichi beams up at him. Gonta’s wearing his usual suit, though the newest addition to his ensemble is the little ladybug pin that Shuichi had won for him at the casino the other week.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Happy birthday, Gonta!” he chirps, and Gonta sweeps him into a tight hug. Shuichi laughs quietly and Gonta lets him go with a rather red face. Standing on his tiptoes, Shuichi tugs Gonta’s tie a bit and presses a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Close your eyes and come with me, I have a surprise for you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Careful not to let him trip, Shuichi leads Gonta out of the dorms and out to the little spot he’d picked out. He gestures for the rest of their classmates to quiet down, and thankfully, they finally listen to him, because the little chatter that had been going around is quickly and efficiently silenced. A miracle, truly. Shuichi stops him in the middle of the spread and tells him to open his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“Surprise! Happy birthday!”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone shouts it at once, surprisingly in sync, and Gonta looks absolutely beside himself with excitement. “Thank you, everyone! Gonta not even know what to say!” he cries, sweeping the nearest set of their peers into a group hug. Gonta turns back to Shuichi, and Shuichi grins at him, relieved that Gonta seems to like it. “Shuichi set all of this up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W-Well, I had a lot of help, so I—oof! Woah, okay,” he chuckles as Gonta nearly tackles him in another bone-crushing hug. When Gonta pulls away, Shuichi cups his face with one hand and sweeps a thumb over his cheek gently. “I’m glad you like it…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yaaaawn! I’m bored, let’s get to the food!” Kokichi says, rather loudly, and Shuichi shoots him a glare as the focus of the party shifts from wishing Gonta a happy birthday to stuffing their faces with store-bought snacks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi’s gaze shifts to the pile of gifts that’s procured at the end of the table, and his stomach drops. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The present.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Oh, God, he feels awful. He could have picked one up while they were waiting for the cake to be done! It had totally slipped his mind! Evidently, Kaede sees his face fall, and she pulls him aside, promising Miu to finish their conversation in a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The panic must show on his face, because her eyes go wide. “What’s wrong? The party’s going great, is everything okay?” she asks, and Shuichi shakes his head. “Is this about the streamers? Because I told you I wouldn’t be able to get ones with dragonflies printed on such short notice, Shuichi, I—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, this isn’t—Kaede, I forgot to get him a present,” Shuichi hisses as quietly as possible, and Kaede covers her mouth with her hands. “What the hell am I gonna do?! I can’t just go and get one now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thinking for a moment, Kaede puts a hand on her chin and hums. “Maybe you can,” she says, and Shuichi really wants to know how she expects him to be in two places at once. Kaede raises her voice and projects it towards the rest of her classmates. “Oh, I totally forgot to grab some soda for the party! My bad, Shuichi. Would you mind going and getting a few bottles?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silently thanking whatever powers that may be for Kaede’s stroke of absolute genius—God, Atua, whatever—Shuichi nods eagerly and starts to head away from the party, but Gonta’s hand on his arm stops him in his tracks. “Does Shuichi want Gonta to come with?” he asks, and Shuichi lets out an awkward, nervous laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, n-no, no, I couldn’t ask that of you. It’s your party, and I’ll be right back anyways, it’s not a big deal,” Shuichi says quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, okay...um, does Shuichi need money for the soda?” Gonta asks, and Shuichi shakes his head. It would be a funny concept if he weren’t so stressed, Gonta giving Shuichi money to get a present meant for Gonta. “Well, be safe, alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi nods and gives Gonta’s hand a squeeze. He heads off to the little block of shops; he doesn’t have much time to pick out a gift, so he’ll have to make it quick. The grocery store, where he does end up getting a few bottles of soda that he’s pretty sure won’t get any complaints about the selection, is thankfully close to a little retail store, and Shuichi heads in, rather frantic at this point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He immediately takes to browsing the aisles, and he supposes he must look as panicked as he feels, because none of the employees ask him if he needs help finding anything. Shuichi is a man on a mission, dammit. He’s on the second to last aisle within five minutes, and he still hasn’t found anything yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s looking bleak, and Shuichi’s about to give up when he sees it. A pretty silver glasses case, engraved with spiders. He takes one glance at the price, marches up to the cashier, and slams an appropriate bill on the counter. They don’t even bother asking if he wants a receipt or change and just nod to let him know he can leave without setting of the sensors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tucking the glasses case into the bag, Shuichi heads back to campus and composes himself on the way. Hopefully he looks less frazzled now. With a smile, he sets out the sodas and hides the glasses case in his pocket, thankful that his jacket pockets are big enough not to arouse any suspicions. He sidles up next to Gonta, who’s excitedly telling Korekiyo and Ryoma about his latest project. Something along the lines of honeybee preservation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Intertwining their fingers, Shuichi stifles a giggle at the blush that quickly spreads across Gonta’s cheeks and listens in. “So, from my understanding,” Korekiyo starts, “the biggest issue isn’t colony collapse disorder itself, but rather the agricultural industry as a whole.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Lots of pesticides and bad farming practices,” Gonta tells the three of them, shaking his head. “It very important to help hives with that, since it only makes it easier for honeybees to get diseases and starve.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He goes on for a while longer, and Shuichi can’t wipe the grin off his face. Seeing Gonta feel happy enough to be truly passionate about something is a sight to behold. Hell, Shuichi doesn’t even know half of the scientific terms Gonta uses, and he’d like to say he’s a pretty smart guy. Korekiyo and Ryoma seem to have no trouble keeping up though, but that’s to be expected; Kiyo is also in a scientific field, and nobody’s ever really sure just how much Ryoma knows about anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, who wants cake?” Kaede calls suddenly, and the rest of the class lights up. Kirumi lights the candles, and Gonta steps up. “Okay, everyone sing, and Kokichi, you better not start screaming the lyrics like you did at Tenko’s party.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>None of them are musically inclined, save for Kaede, so it’s mostly off-pitch and a tad screechy, but Gonta doesn’t seem to mind at all. The bright grin doesn’t leave his face as they sing, and his smile comes back as soon as he’s done blowing out the candles. They all cheer and clap as Kirumi starts cutting the cake, and Shuichi gives Gonta a side-hug as she hands him the first slice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once everyone has eaten and has been sufficiently sugared up, the rowdiest of their classmates start demanding that Gonta open up the pile of presents. Shuichi feels his heart pound; will Gonta even like his present? Of course he will, Shuichi has got to stop thinking of the worst case scenario. Most of the presents are all of the same vein—bug catching nets, new terrariums, a few encyclopedias. The ones that stand out the most are a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Baby’s First Bug Book</span>
  </em>
  <span> from Kokichi which, thankfully, Gonta doesn’t seem to think is an insult, and a tiny handmade tarantula keychain from Miu, who brushes it off as nothing much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gonta turns to Shuichi next, and Shuichi takes the glasses case from his pocket and holds it out, a bit red in the face. “I-I know it isn’t much, but I hope you like it,” he says quietly, and Gonta takes it into his hands as though it’s the most precious thing in the world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like it? Gonta love it! Thank you, Shuichi!” Gonta says, and he turns back to everyone, positively glowing with gratitude. “Thanks so much, everybody! Gonta love you all!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their class clamors back with similar sentiments, and after the food is gone, the party starts to dissipate. People start heading back to the dorms, wishing Gonta a happy birthday as they do. Eventually, it waters down to just the two of them and Kirumi, who has busied herself with tidying up. Gonta takes Shuichi’s hand and smiles softly at him. It’s such an effortlessly charming gesture that Shuichi finds himself getting flustered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sit together on one of the benches as Kirumi carries away the trash and empty plates in an almost impossible one-trip pile. It’s just the two of them now, and Shuichi’s feeling a bit more bold than usual—well, in addition to his guilt at getting such a last minute gift. “Hey, Gonta…? There’s one more part to your present, but I didn’t want to give it to you in front of everybody,” he says, and his cheeks are already scarlet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gonta raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, Shuichi not have to do so much just for Gonta,” he says, though he does seem rather curious. “...But if Shuichi wanna tell Gonta what the second part is, Gonta okay with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Letting out a nervous laugh, Shuichi reaches up to hold Gonta’s face in his hands. “Close your eyes,” he says, and Gonta does. Shuichi leans a bit closer, just enough so that the tips of their noses are barely brushing. “I-Is this okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Gonta says breathlessly, eyes still closed. Shuichi tilts his head so that he can gently press his lips to Gonta’s. It’s their first kiss, probably Gonta’s first ever, and it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Shuichi pulls away, hoping his face isn’t as red as he thinks it is. Gonta’s eyes flutter open, and Shuichi smiles nervously. Before he can even get a word out, Gonta’s kissing him again. “Ah, s-sorry! Gonta just...really like his present.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Giggling, Shuichi grins at him. “Happy birthday, Gonta.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>in conclusion, save the bees.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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